Toshiba Satellite Radius 14: Is It Good for Business?

The Satellite Radius can fold into a 14-inch tablet. / Credit: Jeremy Lips

Toshiba's Satellite Radius boasts fast performance, long battery life and a versatile design at a competitive price, making it an enticing option for workers. However, undersize keys and a few sharp edges make the 14-inch laptop less comfortable to use than it could be.

Like other 2-in-1 hybrid laptops, the Radius 14 distinguishes itself from traditional notebooks with a flexible hinge that lets you fold the display back a full 360 degrees to use the device like a large tablet. You also have the option to use the keyboard as a stand to prop up the touch screen. That really comes in handy when you want to use your computer in cramped quarters, such as on an airplane tray table.

But what makes the Radius 14 stand out from similar hybrids is its speedy performance, thanks to its zippy 2.1-GHz Intel Core i3 5015U processor with 6GB of RAM. That hardware helped it rack up an impressive score of 4,671 on the Geekbench 3 test, which measures overall performance. That beats competing Core i3-powered convertibles like the Asus Transformer Book Flip TP300 (3,922) and the HP Pavilion x360 13t (4,490).

Solid battery life is the notebook's other strong suit. It ran for 6 hours and 22 minutes in our battery test, which simulates continuous Web browsing over Wi-Fi. That beats competing machines like the Lenovo Edge 15 (5 hours and 13 minutes) and the Asus TP300 (6 hours and 12 minutes), which is good if you need a notebook that can last through a long business flight.

The Radius 14 has at least two big weaknesses, though. First, the edge of the notebook's bottom lip is a bit sharp, which can feel uncomfortable when you're resting your wrists on the keyboard deck. Second, the notebook's keys are shorter than standard, which can cause some trouble for touch typists.

Check back for a full review of the Toshiba Satellite Radius 14 very soon, or check out our picks for the best work laptops currently on the market.

Brett Nuckles has been a working journalist since 2009. He got his start in local newspapers covering community news, local government, education and more before he joined the Business News Daily staff in 2013. He graduated from Ohio University, where he studied Journalism and English. Follow him on Twitter @BrettNuckles.